Commercial aircraft are used to transport passengers between various locations. A typical commercial aircraft includes one or more lavatories within an internal cabin.
Systems are currently being developed to disinfect or otherwise sanitize surfaces within aircraft lavatories that use ultraviolet (UV) light. For example, it has been found that far UV light efficiently disinfects exposed surfaces within a lavatory.
In order to effectively sanitize a surface within a lavatory, a UV light assembly may be fixed in close proximity to the surface. For example, a UV light assembly may be spaced from a toilet within a lavatory a distance of less than one foot. As can be appreciated, however, positioning a UV light assembly within close proximity to a component may interfere with use of the component. In general, a UV light assembly should not expose passengers to harmful UB light, nor undesirably protrude into a confined space of an aircraft lavatory.
In order for certain known UV light sources to operate effectively, such light sources warm up after being activated. For example, certain UV light sources may warm up for at least thirty seconds before generating UV light that effectively sanitizes a surface. However, the sanitation cycle may last only two to three seconds. As such, the warm-up times for certain UV light sources is often far longer than the actual time of sanitation.
Further, many UV light sources are relatively large and bulky, and may be difficult to integrate into a confined space of an aircraft lavatory. For example, incorporating a UV light source within the confined space of the lavatory that already includes a visible light source may prove difficult.